Chapter 10

Leigh's surprise move doesn't take anyone aback, but Keaton is still wary. "Don't drag it for too long. We need to finish it quickly," he warns, trying not to think of what happened to Candice and Whitney for their lack of consideration. Hopefully, no-one else will make their same mistakes.

Leigh smiles faintly and goes on with the narration. "Breakfast is over and story time has just come, but some of the guys and girls don't feel like narrating. Their minds are wandering elsewhere: there's who wants to get some extra sleep, who wants to have fun in some other way. And who wants to just leave that hell of a place.

"Taking advantage of the general mess, Carole, Harris, Orion and Linda isolate themselves to re-read the encrypted message and find clues on how to decipher it. As they're on it, however, they overhear Leni shout at Julienne. 'Hey! Come back! You're supposed to do the washing-up!' Julienne, however, isn't the type that like being bossed around."

"She struts away from the blonde, instead heading towards the corner where Carole and her friends are trying to give that message a meaning. Wanting to know what it is about, she asks, 'What is this?' Carole doesn't answer straight away and sulks. Giving a proper answer without making Julienne suspicious isn't easy, especially with bitches like Leni always at the corner." Kayden goes on, actually setting the ground for a new twist.

Then, it's Cole's turn. He wants to get his part done so that he can go back to his business. In other words, he hopes to have some alone time with Leigh, but it's going to be easier said than done, especially with the Voice ready to throw in unpleasant surprises every once in a while. The thought of being sucked out of the house without being intimate with Leigh even once makes him sweat.

He, however, gathers the courage left to tell his part of the story. "The five guys and girls are so caught up in the mysterious riddle that they don't even notice that Leni is standing behind them, tapping her heels on the floor and throwing daggers every once in a while. 'We're supposed to tell a story, so move your asses!' she yells, much to Carole's annoyance."

Kaitlynn laughs softly as she comments, "Wow! This Leni girl is a true bitch. No wonder that no-one is paying attention to her!" Then, noticing that no-one is following her, she resorts to narrating. "All the guys and girls tells a story about a girl who's trapped in a mirror, but the Silencer isn't satisfied. It wants something more enticing. Then, the group resorts to a retelling of Snow White's story and a horror tale about a family trapped in a haunted house. Still, it isn't enough to stop the Silencer's wrath."

After Kaitlynn finishes talking, silence falls on the room, further marked by the lights going on and off at regular intervals. "What is going on?" asks Hayley, letting out a desperate gasp. She tries to find someone to cling on, but the only thing she can sense is the carpet.

As the lights go on again, Lindsey points out, "Perhaps we should ask the Voice why the lights aren't working. Can you hear us, Voice?" However, she receives no answer. Perhaps she forgot that the Voice only talks when it's time to punish someone, or when it wants to throw unexpected surprises at the group. Except, those are no longer surprises.

"What about simply going on with the story?" intervenes Leah, scoffing and throwing daggers at Lindsey. Although the latter ignores her, the other girls are aggravated by her attitude, to the point that Maisy tells her off, "Stop, Leah. You're not helping at all. You've already done your job, so shut the freak up!"

"Okay, okay, we're all nervous and all that jazz, but, please, let's calm down," states Jennifer as the lights go off for the ump-teenth time. "Maisy, would you like to go next?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go on before this bitch gets on my nerves!" Maisy spits out while dodging another of Leah's glares. She, however, takes a deep breath, closes her eyes and starts narrating. "Taking advantage of a small break, Carole and her friends summon Julienne and offer her to join them, which she accepts, even though she's reluctant. Leni could get back at her any time, and she doesn't want that."

"That's it?" points out Kane. "If so, I'll go on." He winks at Maisy and Jennifer, making them roll their eyes, but doesn't pay particular attention to them. "Carole knows that the more, the merrier, so she asks Julienne if she can convince Andrew to work with them. He accepts for three reasons: he wants to get out of this place once for all, defeat the Silencer and, why not, have some one-on-one time with Julienne.

"The other boys, most of whom are siding with Leni and Ricky, often mock him but he doesn't pay them particular attention. He doesn't need to be like them to prove himself as a brave young man." As Kane pronounces these last words, Kaitlynn and Maisy find themselves staring at him in a dreaming way. They also looks like they're blushing, or, at least, when the lights are on.

As the room becomes dark again, Chase takes the reins of the story. "After more failed attempts to impress the Silencer with storytelling, Leni realizes that this has been a bad idea altogether but still blames Carole for it. Nonetheless, she insists on defeating the Silencer her way and polls everyone to have them all decide in favor of her."

"Her devious plan, however, fails as Carole, Harris, Orion, Linda, Julienne, Andrew, a guy named Peyton and three girls named Grace, Brittany and Katelyn decide to side against Leni's clique. They believe that there's a better way to outsmart the Silencer without angering it." Myles's take on the story seems to lead to the ending, which prompts Kelsie to go straight after him as usual.

"Leni and Ricky are furious. Being the self-proclaimed leaders, they don't accept that their authority is challenged. This is why they're plotting behind everyone else's backs to sabotage Carole's group and have the Silencer curse them to death so that they, instead, get out of that house easily and without harm." When Kelsie finishes narrating, Hayley and Myles congratulate with her, whereas Spring is visibly shaking, knowing that, unless she manages to put an end to the story, she might be the next to disappear.

On the other hand, Jennifer is worried. Not only because she has to make sure that the story reaches its final curve, but also because of Bailey. He hasn't said a single word today so far. Even though she acknowledges him as not being particularly talkative, he's never been so closed off in his own thoughts. The fact that he can't see his beloved girlfriend and might have to leave her behind for the rest of his life is literally consuming his mind.

Before narrating, in fact, Jennifer vows, "Let's finish this story, Bailey. I promise that I'll bring you back to Madison, no matter what it takes."

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